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The Sithrimni Collective
Perhaps the most strange and misunderstood nation in Known Space, the Sithrimni Collective is probably the only truly egalitarian society in the galaxy and is also one of the few true Communist societies as it does not possess a social, economic or political hierarchy. The Collective never developed feudalism or capitalism and it is notable that the Sithrimni have the fewest known incidents of armed conflict, either within their species or with others. In other words the Collective has been in fewer wars than most races. The Collective is unique in that it is the only known instance of an advanced group-mind civilisation. Often mistakenly called a Hive Mind, all citizens of the Collective, no matter what race they are, are connected to a telepathic meta-consciousness. This Gestalt Entity comprised of the collective thoughts, memories and emotions of every sentient being within the Collective. Because the group mind often shows the characteristics endemic to sentient beings it is often considered, by the Sithrimni at least, to be a seperate sentient entity in its own right, despite the fact that it is a collective sentience comprised of the linked minds of the Collective. Because of these strange traits the Collective displays traits of both a Perfect Democracy, in which everyone within the society is allowed to vote upon any action which the society takes, and a 'benevolent dictatorship' since the decisions ultimately rest with the Mind of Sithrimni - made up of and yet seperate from the minds of the Sithrimni. Other Races The most unique aspect of the Sithrimni is that once an individual has joined their mind to the group mind - 'The Joining' or 'Becoming One' - that individual is considered a part of the Sithrimni race regardless of their origins. For example a Xin'Ta'Faxi or a Saiv who joins with the Mind becomes a Sithrimni from that point on whilst still remaining a Saiv or Xin'Ta'Faxi physically. This is seperate from other nations in which aliens may gain citizenship because whilst they are a citizen of, for example, the Saiv Empire, they are also still viewed as an alien. Whereas in the Collective an alien who has Joined with the Mind is considered to be of the Sithrimni race. Complete equals to those born as members of the Sithrimni species. This tendency to 'assimilate' members of other races has caused a lot of prejudice, stigma and even persecution against the Sithrimni, most notably from the Xin'Ta'Faxi, who considered their very existence an abomination before their God, the Guardian. The Sithrimni, on the other hand, have the exact opposite view and individuals are often characterised by their open-minded approach to other cultures. Diplomatically the Sithrimni attempt to promote peace and understanding amongst the various races and nations and wholeheartedly support the efforts of the Senate, despite being barred from membership. The Group Mind Because of the shared consciousness of the Sithrimni, any member of the Collective can take on the role of a representative of the Mind and it is common practice when sending ambassadors to other races that the ambassador is a 'Joined' member of whatever species they are interacting with. Notably, this is impossible to do when the Terelain Star Kingdom is involved as no member of the Terelain species has ever been 'Joined' to the Mind. It is important to note that when an individual is 'Joined' they do not lose their individuallity. In other words whilst they are connected to the Mind they are not mindless drones and retain their individual personalities. When coming to a decision regarding the whole Collective, it is common practice for every single Sithrimni that wishes to do o will participate in a mental form of voting, in which they express their emotions and opinions on a matter allowing the Mind to form a concensus on what action to take, in situations where the vote is cast with an external context, such as during negotiations with another race or a Senate vote, the ambassador or representative will inform the outsiders of the decision. There have been instances when the Mind itself has utilised its representatives as conduits in order to communicate with aliens directly without establishing a telepathic interface. On these occasions the representative's voice undergoes an odd change; becoming that of a multitude of people speaking at once in perfect unison. At these times the Mind has been observed to exhibit a distinctly feminine personality, regardless of the gender of its mouthpiece. This has prompted several debates within xenosociological circles and it has been theorised that the Sithrimni may have originally possessed a matriarchal society. The Host of the Mind A popular misconception is that the so-called 'Host of the Mind's is the leader of the Collective, primarily because the Host is the most. Powerful telepathy in the Collective and that he or she lives aboard the only titan-size vessel the Sithrimni possess and is guarded by the elite Black Valkyries, the Host's bodyguards, honour-guard and general protectors. However the only purpose of the Host is to regulate the Group Mind. Without the powerful Psyche of the Host to impose order, the Group Mind would spiral into chaos. This is not mind control or thought manipulation, instead it is more of an organisational force, a way of shaping the mental energies of the Mind to produce harmony. A crude analogy would be to compare the Host to the conductor of an orchestra or choir.